Page 60 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
Chapter Nine
Their late lunch turned into supper. They’d spent most of the afternoon under the covers together. With the rain and the clouds, it had seemed like the best place to be. They’d made love, napped and had the most interesting discussion.
‘What do you have against umbrellas?’ Genieve asked as she followed Brody into the kitchen.
He sent her a look from the refrigerator. They’d showered together, and his hair was still damp. He’d put his jeans back on, but not much else. She liked how low they rode on his hips.
‘I don’t have anything against umbrellas. Why would I?’
‘I don’t know.’ She grasped the counter and hopped up onto it. The move pulled his Foo Fighters T-shirt tighter across her chest, and his gaze immediately zeroed in. She hadn’t put many clothes on either. She really hadn’t seen a reason for it. ‘That’s what you told me in your sleep.’
His head dropped, and his fingers drummed across the top of the refrigerator door. ‘Damn. That again?’
She grinned. She liked getting under his skin. ‘We had quite the conversation.’
He gave up and closed the refrigerator door. When he crossed his arms, he looked like he was bracing himself. ‘What did I say this time?’
‘Stupid umbrellas,’ she said with air quotes. ‘Naturally, I asked why they were stupid. You said they were never where you need them.’
He nodded. ‘OK.’
She tilted her head. ‘You know what that means.’
He stood, implacable. ‘No comment.’
Curiosity rose inside her. How did that make any sense? It hadn’t rained until today, and he hadn’t gone outside. ‘You also said we need to squash the bees.’
‘Bees?’
She shrugged. ‘Buzz, buzz.’
He glanced across the breakfast bar into the living room. He’d turned on the television with the remote as they’d passed through the room, and the evening news was in full swing. ‘Well, that one’s pretty clear.’
It took her a moment, but she caught on. ‘You can’t stop gossip, Brody.’
‘Watch me.’ He crossed the kitchen and braced his hands on the counter on either side of her. ‘I’ve been thinking we need to put that superpower of yours to use.’
‘Superpower?’ There was only one place she’d been told she had extraordinary skills, and it wasn’t the kitchen.
He tapped her forehead. ‘You said you can read people.’
She narrowed her eyes on him. No more parlour tricks. ‘I’m trying to delve into your brain right now.’
‘Trust me, you don’t want to go there.’ He nodded towards the television. Gunderson’s competitor was onscreen, complaining about how the senator was using the hotel break-in for sympathy votes.
Which he was…
‘Gunderson’s numbers keep going up, and Kevin Murphy is getting desperate. He’s looking for anything he can to stop the slide. We need to make sure we find out who gave TMI that anonymous tip before he does. Or any reporter on the story, for that matter.’
Even in his sleep, he was trying to control things. ‘Buzz, buzz?’
‘Exactly. You might think things have quieted down, being alone out here, but the story is still big with the press.’
‘Then they need to find another story.’
‘I’ve been looking for one to give them.’
‘Brody!’
